GAMETHREAD: 2018 Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic, 7pm, CST

The weekly injury bug is starting to claim very important pieces of LSU’s lineup. After being held out of Sunday’s game, LSU confirmed that Brandt Broussard did indeed break his thumb and he’s now out for a few weeks. The lineup from Sunday of Austin Bain at 2B and Bryce Jordan at 1B should be expected going forward, though Mainieri could always experiment. Fr. RHP AJ Labas (2-0, 2.25 ERA, 16.0 IP, 2 BB, 10 SO) will start tonight at The Shrine on Airline and go as long as he can.

Since we last saw the Cajuns (10-13, 2-4 SBC), Will Wade became the owner of their entire university they’ve had a rough time in the Sun Belt, dropping all 3 weekends to South Alabama, Georgia Southern, and Troy. They have gotten some in-state wins against Tulane and McNeese, but that wasn’t enough to keep them from slipping further under the .500 mark. USL’s batting average has “improved” the last three weeks to a .213 mark as a club, with only CF Gavin Bourgeois hitting over .300 in the lineup. They’ll be starting Jr. LHP Hogan Harris (0-1, 8.31 ERA, 4.1 IP, 5 BB, 5 SO) on the mound, though his high ERA and the fact that he’s only had 2 appearances this season point to extended bullpen use this evening. After ending the greatest Cajun’s hoops season in decades in the PMAC, I’d guess they’re desperate to sweep the season series in baseball tonight.

The game is on Cox Sports, and the standard in-state blackout rules apply on ESPN3